LA Galaxy vs Vancouver Whitecaps: Galaxy trying to find regularity

Galaxy looking for a win at home to climb the standings.

Photo: lagalaxy.com

por Jonny Rico

19 de Julio 2013

Tamaño

With a little over half the season gone the reigning champions of Major League Soccer (MLS) are currently sitting the last playoff spot (5th place) of the Western Conference. They will be hosting the Whitecaps who are only two points ahead of the Galaxy and sit in third place of the conference.

The LA Galaxy vs Vancouver match is scheduled for Saturday, July 20 at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, CA at 7:30PM local time. San Diego Red will be there to cover the action.

In their last five MLS league games the Galaxy have won three and lost two, riding a wave of inconsistency that they’ll be looking to correct. In those games they have scored eight goals and received five.

The good news for the LA side for this upcoming game is that they will be able to count on their young starting central defender Omar Gonzalez. Gonzalez was just recently called up to the United Sates Men’s National Team (USMNT) currently playing in the Gold Cup. But Gonzalez won’t be joining the USMNT until after Saturday night’s match and will be available to coach Jurgan Klinsmann in the semifinal round.

It is important for the Los Angeles Galaxy team to pick up some points at this stage of the season before the “stressful” months begin. September and October will not be the time the Galaxy will want to be chasing a playoff spot, not only are the final games of the MLS regular season during that time, but that will be the time when CONCACAF Champion’s League group stage matches will be taking place. There is already huge pressure on the MLS Champions to turn in a positive performance in the continental competition seeing as no MLS team has ever won the tournament.

The visiting Vancouver Whitecaps are on a six game unbeaten streak in which they have won five and drawn one. Their last loss was to Seattle Sounders back on June 15. During those six games the Canadian side has scored 14 goals and received only six. They’ll be looking to make this “lucky number seven” when they visit the Hub Stub Center in Los Angeles.